did the engine get coolant in the oil? if its knocking that sounds more like a connecting rod bearing. cost to replace engine with low miles 3.8, if you do the work yourself 700-1k. that would be for engine, changing gaskets and a few odds and ends.

 

 

Car won't start and cold knock are not symptoms of a heads gasket.

Head gaskets will be between $1200 and $2000 at a shop. The cost of labor varies greatly depending on where you live. That should include the heads being checked for cracks and flatness. With older cars doing one head gasket should not be an option.

You really want to be sure you don't have bad bearings. If coolant has gotten into the oil it will wipe out the bearing. I have had customer with coolant in the oil with no engine noise "risk" the head gaskets replacement change only to have a bearing spin 2 weeks later. Even though I was clear it could spin bearing the first minute of running they where still mad at me.

 

for 2k or a bit more ,you can buy another 3800 CL an be done with it ,??? i wonder how when they towed you car the hose got ripped off an tore apart you radiator ,how does that happen unless the tow guy did it ,by not knowing how to tow a car that is broke down ,why would you have to buy a new one an not the tow guy,they should be responcibel for anything that happens while they load it or during tow

 

I will agree that owning one of these cars and not being a DIY guy is tuff from a money point of view. The 2k quote would be like in parts California or Northern NJ. The same places where a kitchen remodel is 40k or a roof is 25K. Since the head gaskets and intake gaskets are the only major thing that go wrong with the 3800 paying $1200 might be worth it because there is a 20-30% chance if you bought a different 3800 it may need the same thing in the next 6 months. On the other hand once you install a felpro gasket set you should be good for life. It would be the same with a transmission replacement.

 

have a look here, https://camaroforums.com/forum/93-02...nt-info-57568/ you would be surprised how cheap a good low miles series 3 3.8 is. i picked one up with 60k, great compression and oil pressure for 400 bucks. series 3 is a small upgrade from the stock series 2 and has a few more hp. replaced all gaskets down to the block and had the heads checked. wish i would have had heavier valve springs installed then.

 

If someone is asking how much it costs to get head gaskets done a complete engine swap is probably not in his skill or resource level. By resources I mean tools, lives in an apartment etc.

I remember putting a clutch in my first car when I was 15. I used a bumper jack and cinder blocks to get the car up and I had a really bad hand me down set of china made sockets and hand full of mismatched wrenches. A 2 hour job took two weekends. Some of that was because I put the throw out bearing in backwards and had to redo it.

 

lol, i get carried away sometimes